3 new Dixie wildfires char 8,600 acres
By Zack Van Eyck Deseret Morning News CEDAR CITY — A total of 76 new wildfires began in southern Utah and northern Arizona since Thursday because of lightning strikes, the Color Country Interagency Fire Center reported Sunday. Most of those fires were put out with minimal damage, but firefighters continued to battle three new fires — the Jacob, Baboon, and Birthday fires — as well as the ongoing Bull and Cove Mountain fires northwest of St. George. The Baboon Fire, 19 miles north of Cedar City, had burned more than 1,000 acres, but air attacks helped subdue the fire and it was not considered a threat Sunday night, according to the agency. The Birthday Fire, 38 miles south of St. George, had scorched 1,000 acres in a wilderness area but was not a threat to any structures. The Jacob Fire, about 40 miles southeast of St. George, had burned 6,600 acres in Arizona since being reported late Friday. Three structures and desert tortoise habit were being threatened by the fire, which was only 10 percent contained Sunday night. Fanned by strong winds from afternoon thunderstorms, the Bull Fire spread to the northwest while the Cove Mountain Fire made a strong move to the south toward the community of Gunlock, the agency reported. The Bull Fire was burning 25 miles northwest of St. George with the majority on Bureau of Land Management land. The Cove Mountain Fire was burning 16 miles north of St. George on BLM and Forest Service land. Both were caused by lightning. The fires, jointly, posed potential danger to 80 homes and 20 outbuildings. Road closures were to be expected in the area, from Crestline Road between the Nevada state line and Enterprise, and from S.R. 18 south to Veyo. Firefighters were working to increase containment around the two fires and secure existing fire lines until additional crews and equipment arrived. The two fires were estimated at a combined size of 24,477 acres.